Page 6 - Crappie NOW - August 2017

SIZZLING HOT CRAPPIE
crappie attract other crappie.”
The crappie Phillips catches are
usually old and big crappie – generally
weighing 1-1/4- to 2 pounds.

What a Half Day of Hot Weather Crappie
Fishing Is Like
I fished with Phillips and Anthony
Milner and was blown away at the size
and numbers of black crappie we caught
on a half-day fishing trip. Once Phillips
found crappie, he dropped a buoy right
on top of the school. When I asked if he
wasn’t afraid he’d spook crappie with the
buoy, he answered, “No. When the lead
on the buoy bottom falls 14-20 feet, it’s
not going fast when it hits the bottom and
doesn’t seem to spook the fish. Generally,
the crappie are suspended up from the
bottom. However, with a high sky, bright
sun and deep fish, if your bait’s 5 feet
away from the school, you won’t catch the
crappie. I want my bait to be right above
the school with a minnow dancing.” We
caught enough crappie to feed my entire
family plus visitors for a weekend fish
fry at the lake and had a blast fishing for
summer crappie.
Call Jonathan Phillips at 334-
391-9735, and go to https://www.
facebook.com/Team-Phillips-Guide-
Service-935028296557829.

Here’s a fine catch of 1-2 pound crappie - John E. Phillips
taken in an afternoon of fishing when the
weather sizzled for Anthony Milner (left)
and Jonathan Phillips (right).

crappie, I prefer a single hook, which is
easier to get out of brush,” Phillips says.
“I like to have two poles rigged - one with
a single hook and the other with a double
hook - catching the easy crappie with the
double hook rig and using the single hook
to go into the brush.”
Phillips usually has 50-100 different
locations identified where he’s caught
crappie before a trip. “I never try to catch
all the crappie on any location. I believe

6 Crappie NOW August 2017